


The Things She Noticed

by CNote



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-30 16:43:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8540677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CNote/pseuds/CNote
Summary: Marinette starts to notice some striking similarities between her partner and her crush. And it leads to her a realization she never saw coming.





	1. Power Forward

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really bad at the battle scenes. This gives me a whole new respect for the people that actually manage to do it.
> 
> I also went back and forth for a while about whether or not this would be a one-shot, and I eventually decided to make this into two chapters. Here's the first one.

“I will get my revenge!” the man shouted as he made his way down the Parisian streets. He was wearing a white tank top with white athletic shorts with white socks and sneakers. Were it not for his blue skin and limbs stretching all over the street, one would think he was a normal person. “I am Power Forward, and I _will_ get my spot on the Paris-Levallois basketball team.”

“Well, I think it’s time for you to take a power step backwards,” Ladybug said, landing in front of the akuma.

“I thought I was the one that made puns,” a familiar voice said from above her. Cat Noir jumped down and landed beside her.

“You make bad puns,” she retorted. “ _My_ puns are actually clever.”

“Oh, my puns are claw-some.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Are you ready to do this or not?”

Cat Noir stepped to the side and put his hand out like the gentleman he is. “After you, M’Lady.”  
They engaged the akuma in battle, and Ladybug was surprised to find that Cat Noir had some good basketball skills. Eventually she noticed that the basketball under Power Forward’s left arm never left his side. Interesting for a basketball-themed akuma to not actually use his basketball.

“Cat Noir!” she shouted. “I think the akuma’s in the basketball!”

“On it!” Cat shouted back.

Cat Noir engaged Power Forward in a one-on-one game of basketball while Ladybug used her lucky charm to help out. Eventually Ladybug had the basketball in her hand. “How do I break this?” she asked, mostly to herself.

“Allow me, M’Lady,” Cat Noir said. “Cataclysm!” His put his glowing, black hand on the basketball. It popped, and the small dark purple butterfly popped out.

Ladybug wasted no time with the purification ritual. “Time to de-evilize!” She swung her yo-yo and caught the akuma with expert precision. She opened her yo-yo to release a white butterfly with her trademark, “Bye bye, little butterfly.” And then she immediately threw her lucky charm in the air with a shout of “Miraculous Ladybug!” The swarm of ladybugs flew through the city returning everything back to normal, including the disgruntled basketball player.

“Pound it!” the two heroes said as they exchanged their celebratory fist bump.

“I didn’t know you knew how to play basketball,” Ladybug said to her partner. “Don't tell me you speak Chinese, too?”

Cat Noir leaned in close to Ladybug and smirked, waggling his eyebrows. “I’ll tell you my secrets if you tell me yours.”

 _Beep! Beep!_ The sound of Ladybug’s transformation about to wear off rang through both of their ears.

“Gotta bug out,” she said. She twirled her yo-yo and threw it up, hooking it onto a chimney and swung away.

Cat Noir watched with a dreamy look in his eye. “Someday, M’Lady.” And he took off in the other direction.

* * *

Ladybug opened the trapdoor from her balcony into her room and slipped down through it, releasing her transformation. Marinette walked down the stairs and set some cookies out on her desk for Tikki. She then collapsed into her chaise.

“What a day,” she said.

“No different from normal,” Tikki responded.

“All in a day’s work for a superhero.” She paused for a moment reflecting on the events of the day. “Who would’ve thought Cat Noir knows how to play basketball? . . . Wait a minute.”

Marinette jumped up and pulled down the chart she had of Adrien’s schedule. She began frantically looking back and forth all over it. “This can’t be right. There’s no way this can be right!”

Tikki floated up from the desk and hovered next to her chosen. “What’s wrong, Marinette?”

“Don’t you see it, Tikki?”

“See what?”

“Adrien plays basketball; so does Cat Noir. Adrien takes fencing; Cat Noir fought Darkblade with considerable sword skill. Cat Noir is allergic to feathers; so is Adrien.”

“You think Adrien is Cat Noir?”

“That’s what the evidence points to.”

“Or it could just be that Cat Noir has the same interests as Adrien.”

“I’d have an easier time believing that if it weren’t for the fact that they’re both allergic to feathers. And when I asked Cat if he spoke Chinese, he didn’t deny it.”

“He didn’t confirm it, either.”

“No. But when we fought Simon Says, every time I went to check on Adrien, Cat disappeared. And when we fought Volpina, Cat Noir was so sure that Adrien was an illusion that he threw his staff at it. And every time I was late to class because of an akuma, Adrien was late, too.”

“Marinette, this is all speculation. You don’t know anything for sure.”

“But the coincidences are too uncanny.”

“But it’s still only speculation. The only way to know for sure is to have him transform or de-transform in front of you. And I think we both know that’s not gonna happen.”

Marinette pulled up the chart and walked over to her desk, plopping down into her desk chair and leaning her head back. Tikki floated beside her and nestled back down into her plate of cookies. “You’re right. I mean their personalities are so different. Cat Noir is so much cockier and more flirtatious than Adrien. I can’t possibly imagine Adrien acting that way.”

“But you always say you’re nothing like Ladybug.”

Marinette picked her head up. “The mask definitely gives me more confidence, but I didn’t think my personality changed that much.” She paused. “Is this what Adrien is like with more confidence?”

“Marinette, this is still just speculation. You have no proof.”

“You’re right. And to be honest, I’m not sure I wanna know.”

“Why not?”

“Because this could change everything. I have a hard enough time talking to Adrien as it is. How am I supposed to talk to Cat Noir if he _is_ Adrien? We always communicate so well in our battles. For the sake of Paris, I can’t jeopardize that.” She put her head on her desk.

“Or maybe this could be a chance for you to get to know Adrien and get over your nervousness around him.”

Marinette suddenly perked her head up. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“Cat Noir wears his ring on the ring finger of his right hand. All I have to do is see if Adrien wears a similar ring on the same finger.”

“It won’t look the same as when he’s transformed.”

“No, but it will look similar. All I have to do is get a close enough look at Adrien’s hand to see if he wears a ring and what it looks like.” She leaned her head back again and put her hand on her forehead in frustration. “But how am I supposed to get a good look Adrien’s hand when I can’t even form a coherent sentence around him?”

“But you _can_ talk to Cat Noir. And if he really _is_ Cat Noir, then you shouldn’t have a problem talking to him. Just pretend he’s Cat.”

“Thanks, Tikki. I’ll try that.”

* * *

Marinette had a hard time focusing on her school work the next day. She kept trying to catch glimpses of Adrien’s hand, but it was hard considering he was using it to write all day. When the school day was over, she knew this was her last chance to get a glimpse of Adrien’s hand. She stared intently at Adrien’s back hoping to get any glimpse she could.

“Girl,” Alya’s voice knocked her out of her trance. “Are you coming? Remember? I wanted to show you something for the Ladyblog.”

“Uh, no,” Marinette murmured. On top of everything else going in her head, on she did _not_ want to worry about her best friend getting too close to the action. Again. “There’s something I have to take care of.”

Alya looked at Marinette, then at Adrien, then back at Marinette. She gave a slight grin. “OK. Just text me later.” She gave a slight wink and left the two “lovebirds” alone in the classroom.

Marinette continued her study of Adrien. She watched very closely as he put his books in his bag. And then she gasped. Sure enough there was a silver ring on the Adrien’s right ring finger.

“Marinette?”

She looked up to see Adrien staring at her with a slightly concerned look on his face.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

“Um, . . . y-yeah, . . . I'm f-fine,” she stuttered.

“OK, well, I have to get to my piano lesson. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned and started to head down the stairs.

Marinette knew she had to act quickly. “Um, Adrien . . . wait!” Adrien turned around as she began to run down the stairs. But in typical Marinette Dupain-Cheng fashion, she tripped and went flying down the stairs instead.  Thank goodness Adrien caught her. Oh my gosh! _Adrien_ was holding her in his arms!

The two of them immediately snapped themselves to attention and giggled nervously.

“Are you OK?” Adrien asked again. He brought his hand up and rubbed the back of his head. “I feel like a broken record.”

Marinette brushed herself off. “Yeah, I’m OK.”

“OK, well, like I said: piano. Unless you wanted something.”

“Oh! Right!” Marinette mustered up all the courage she could. “I, uh, couldn’t help but notice your r-ring, . . . and, uh, I, uh . . . was wondering if I, uh, could get a closer look at it.”

A vexed look grew on Adrien’s face as his left hand protectively held his right. “My ring? Why . . . why would you want to see my ring?”

“It’s . . . uh . . . for my papa! His, uh, birthday is c-coming up, and I, uh, thought he, uh, might like a r-ring like th-that.”

“Well, it’s pretty one-of-a-kind.”

“B-but if I knew where it was, uh, made. . . I, uh, c-could see if they could m-make one like it. . . . For my papa.”

Adrien was growing more confused and he held his hand more tightly which only helped to solidify Marinette’s suspicions. “It was given to me,” he said. “So I don’t know where it came from.”

“Please, Adrien,” Marinette pleaded. “It’ll only be for a minute. It’ll, uh, help me decide if I, uh, want to get my papa a ring.”

Adrien sighed and hesitantly let go of his hand. “OK. But only for a minute. I . . . have to get to my piano lesson.”

Marinette took Adrien’s hand in her own and fought with every ounce of her being to not freak out that she was holding Adrien’s hand. Instead she focused on the task at hand. She furrowed her brows as she looked at the ring, turned his hand to different angles and to get better views of the ring. When she lifted up Adrien’s hand to look at the ring on it’s underside, Adrien quickly jerked his hand away.

“Like I said, I don’t wanna be late for my piano lesson. See you tomorrow, Marinette.”

As he started to head out the classroom, Marinette darted back up to her desk. She wanted to sketch Adrien’s ring while it was still fresh in her mind.

“Marinette?”Adrien said. “Are you coming?”

“Ummm . . . yeah. . . . I just need to . . . gather my things first.”

Adrien turned around and started to head back up the stairs to Marinette’s desk. “Well, let me help you.”

“No!” Marinette shouted. The suddenness of her reaction seemed to shock Adrien. “You, uh, . . . don’t wanna be late for your lesson.”

“Right,” he responded. He turned and walked out of the classroom.

Marinette sat down and pulled out her sketchbook. She sketched the ring as quickly and carefully as she could. Once she was done she gathered up her things and headed home as fast as her feet could take her.

* * *

As soon as Marinette got home, she rushed up to her room and sat down in front of her computer while pulling out her sketchbook. Tikki flew out of her purse and hovered around her while she worked. Marinette tore out the page with the sketch of Adrien’s ring on it and flipped to a blank page while opening up her computer’s browser to the Ladyblog. She began searching for any image she could use to help her sketch out Cat Noir’s ring. When she was done, she put her sketch of Adrien’s ring and Cat Noir’s ring side-by-side, Tikki still hovering beside her.

“They do look pretty similar,” Tikki said.

Marinette leaned her head back in her chair. “This can’t be happening! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING! The boy I’ve been crushing on and the boy with the dumb cat puns. They can’t be the same person! THEY JUST CAN’T BE! How am I supposed to even talk to either of them now?”

“Maybe this could be a chance for you to have a real relationship with Adrien. After all, Adrien is Cat Noir, and Cat Noir loves you.”

“No, Cat Noir loves Ladybug. There’s a difference.” Marinette put her head down on her desk.

“I don’t see it.”

On some level, Marinette knew her kwami was right; she just didn’t want to believe it. This was just a lot to process. Should she tell Adrien? Should she keep it to herself? And for how long? It was only fair that she tell him, but how exactly would she broach the subject? She dreaded going to school tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, bad at the battle scenes. I'm totally up for collaborative efforts, though. Seriously, those Lucky Charms are so random, I don't know how they make them work. I don't want to take out the battle scenes entirely because they're the main part of the show.
> 
> I'm totally open to constructive criticism. I don't mind seeing what I need to improve upon, just as long as it's done with a certain degree of tact. ("You suck!" is totally not appropriate nor constructive.)
> 
> Tomorrow's my day off so I should be able to get a significant portion of the second chapter done.


	2. What's Wrong With Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wonders what he did wrong, and his quest to find out leads to the answers he's been wanting all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, still bad at the battle scenes.

Marinette walked slowly to school. She hadn’t slept well the previous night and was almost late again. ‘Adrien is Cat Noir. Cat Noir is Adrien.’ The thoughts were still running through her head like a broken record. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t even hear Alya calling her name until she was right beside her.

“MariNETTE!”

Marinette snapped out of her stupor. “Huh? Wha?”

“Where were you, girl? I’ve been calling your name for at least a minute.”

Marinette gave a slight, sheepish smile. “Just lost in thought, I guess.”

“Thinking about Adrien?” Alya waggled her eyebrows and nudged her friend’s side with her elbow.

“Um, yeah, I guess you could say that.” It wasn’t a lie, after all.

Alya shook her head. “Hey! What happened to you last night?”

“I was supposed to text you last night, wasn’t I? Oh my gosh! Alya, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot!”

“Well, you’re here now, and we have some time before class starts. Check out my footage of the latest akuma attack!”

Marinette let out a slightly exasperated sigh, but she knew better than to tell Alya to stay away from the action. She was too intrepid to do anything but. She was so engrossed by the footage from the battle with Power Forward that she didn’t notice Adrien getting out of his car and coming up behind them.

“Hey guys. What are you looking at?”

“AAHH!!” Marinette jumped up. “Gonnagogetreadyforclass!” She ran inside as fast as her feet could take her. It was a miracle she didn’t trip on her way up the stairs.

Adrien gave Alya a vexed look. Alya just looked at Adrien shrugged.

Marinette ran to her locker and got her books for her first few classes and then power-walked her way to class.

She had gotten there before Adrien. Phew! But just barely. No sooner had she taken her seat and pulled out her tablet and stylus than Adrien, Nino, and Alya walked into the room. Marinette immediately laser-focused on her tablet, pulling up her notes from the day before.

Alya took her seat beside her. “Hey,” she whispered. “Everything OK? You seem kinda off today?”

“I’m fine,” Marinette responded, still refusing to look up from her tablet.

“Then why are you looking at that tablet like it’s the only thing that matters in the entire world?”

Marinette sighed and looked over at her best friend. “I’m just dealing with some things.”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “Things?”

“Things I’d rather not talk about right now.”

“Well, OK, but when you’re ready to talk about it, you know how to get a hold of me.”

As much as Marinette appreciated the sentiment, she knew she couldn’t talk to Alya about this.

Marinette resumed her laser focus on her tablet. She spent the whole school day trying to avoid looking at the mop of blonde hair in front of her because she knew where it would go. ‘Cat Noir is sitting in front of me. Cat Noir has been sitting in front of me this whole time.’ She did her best to push those thoughts out of her head and focus on her schoolwork. A task that proved more and more difficult as the day went on.

Finally, the end of the school day came. Marinette quickly gathered up her things, but before she could rush out the door, Alya stopped her.

“Text me later, OK? I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine, Alya.”

“You’re not getting off the hook that easily. If you don’t text me, I’ll text you.”

As much as Marinette admired Alya’s tenacity, today it was just annoying. She let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine.” Now she had to come up with a lie to tell Alya just pacify her. As if everything else going on wasn’t already bad enough.

Marinette walked down the stairs as quickly and carefully as she could. She didn’t want to risk falling into Adrien’s arms again. Once she was safely down the stairs, she power-walked out of the classroom to the locker room.

“Dude,” Nino looked to his best friend. “Did you do something to Marinette?”

Alya looked inquisitively at the two boys.

“I . . . I’m not sure,” Adrien responded.

* * *

Marinette sat on the steps outside the school trying to regain her composure. The school day was over, and now all she had to do was go home and figure out what to do about Adrien. She really hoped her parents had a big order in the bakery. If she was kept busy in the bakery, she wouldn’t have to think about the events of the past 24 hours.

“Um, . . . Marinette?”

Marinette jumped up immediately recognizing the voice. “Gottagobye!” She was about to run off when she felt Adrien’s hand grab her wrist.

“Please don’t run off. At least not yet.”

Marinette lowered her head. She could tell that she had been hurting him, but she still couldn’t look at him.

“Did I -- did I do something to upset you?”

Marinette clenched her free hand into a tight fist. She hated that she made him feel this way.

“N-no.”

“Well, it seems like you’ve been avoiding me all day. Am I right? Have you been avoiding me?”

Marinette scrunched her eyes closed and bit her lip. She didn’t want to lie to Adrien. She wasn’t even sure if she could right now.

“Marinette, please talk to me. If I did something wrong, I wanna make it right.”

“It’s . . . complicated.”

“Then talk to me. Let me help you.”

“I’m sorry, Adrien. I . . . I can’t. Not right now. I’m . . . just not ready yet.” She broke free of his grip and ran down the stairs and to her house.

“Ready for what?” Adrien murmured to himself.

* * *

Ladybug wanted to do this herself. But this akuma was fierce. She knew she would need Cat’s help to take it down. And whether or not she wanted or was able to do it herself, she knew it wouldn’t happen. Cat Noir would show up any minute to help her out. She would just have to keep things professional between the two of them.

“Having some trouble, M’Lady?” As if on cue, Cat Noir dropped down beside her.

“I’m fine,” Ladybug responded.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

Ladybug didn’t even roll her eyes. “Are you ready to go?”

“Uh . . . yeah.” Cat was clearly taken aback by the change in his partner’s attitude.

“Then let’s get to it.” Ladybug darted off toward the akuma.

“No banter?” And Cat followed his partner into battle.

Ladybug was doing everything she could to focus on the battle and push her personal issues out of her head, but she could tell that they weren’t as in sync as they normally were. What made her feel worse was that she knew it was all her fault. She tried to concentrate on the akuma, but she just couldn’t get the thought that this was Adrien fighting next to her out of her head.

Finally, after a long fight, longer than it should have been, the akuma had been purified and the city had been returned to normal. Cat Noir reached out for their usual “Pound it.” Ladybug returned it hesitantly and lightly.

“Is everything OK, Bugaboo? You seem a little . . . off . . . today.” Cat Noir’s ring gave its second beep. “Obviously we can’t talk now, but we could meet up later.”

Ladybug gazed toward the ground. “It’s fine,” she mumbled. “I’m fine.”

There was a brief moment of silence. She didn’t notice the concerned look Cat Noir was giving her.

“I have to go,” she said. And she yo-yoed off toward her house leaving a confused Cat Noir behind her.

* * *

Cat Noir jumped through the floor-to-ceiling window into his room and released his transformation.

“Adrien,” Plagg whined as soon as he was out of Adrien’s ring. “I’m famished.”

Adrien walked over to his desk and pulled out some Camembert for his kwami. Then he plopped his back onto his bed and let out a sigh. “What’s wrong with me, Plagg?”

“Whadda ya mean?”

“First Marinette avoids me all day and won’t tell me why; then Ladybug barely talks to me during battle.”

“Maybe you’ve got b.o.”

“Nah, I don’t think that’s it.” Adrien raised up his arm and briefly sniffed under his armpit before putting it back down. “Besides, Nino would’ve told me if I’d stunk.”

“Bring them both some Camembert. There’s no way they could hate you after that.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. Was Plagg ever any help?

“I just wish I knew what was going on.” He rolled over on his bed and thought for a minute. “That’s it!” his head perked up.

“What’s it?” Plagg asked, barely glancing up from is cheese.

Adrien moved to sit on the edge of his bed. “I may not be able to figure out what’s going on in Ladybug’s head, but I might at least be able to find out what’s going on with Marinette. Eat up, Plagg. We leave at dusk.”

Adrien walked over to his desk, sat down and started perusing the Ladyblog.

* * *

Cat Noir made his way across the long rooftop to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. Thank goodness for his night vision; it made the trip much easier and faster.

As he got closer, his cat ears picked up the sound of talking: Marinette was talking to someone. She and Alya must be hanging out on her balcony.

“It’s just so complicated, Tikki.”

Tikki? Who’s Tikki?

Cat had reached the chimney behind the chimney that guarded Marinette’s balcony. There was a significant drop onto the next roof. He knew he had to time his landing just right, or he might get caught. He extended his baton to the bottom of the roof below. He waited until he heard a noise that seemed loud enough to cover the sound of his landing, and then he vaulted. There was a slight thud.

“Is someone there?”

Shoot! Marinette had heard him. He quickly compressed his body against the chimney behind Marinette’s balcony.

“Do you think we should go check it out?” a small, high-pitched voice asked.

A voice Cat didn’t recognize; a voice Adrien didn’t know. Who was Marinette talking to? If only she wasn’t so suspicious already, he could’ve peeked around the corner to find out.

“No, if someone is there, they might see me transform.”

Transform?

‘Oh. My. Gosh,’ Cat thought. ‘Has she really been sitting behind me this whole time?’ Of course! It all made sense now: same freckles; same black pigtails; same blue eyes. How had he not noticed the similarities earlier?! He had to get her to trust him.

“Maybe we should go inside, then,” the small voice said.

“I know you’re right, Tikki, but being out here helps me think,” Marinette responded.

“Well, . . . OK. But any sign of trouble and I’m going inside.”

“I’ll move over to the chair so you can get in faster.”

Cat heard moving about on the balcony.

“So where were we?” Marinette asked the small voice.

“Your Adrien problems.”

Adrien problems?

“I just don’t know how I can face him, Tikki.”

“But he’s your partner.”

Partner? Does she know my identity? How did she find out?

“That’s what makes this so horrible.”

“Just think of how Adrien feels right now. First, Marinette avoids him all day, and then Ladybug gives him the cold shoulder in battle.”

“You’re right. And I hate that I’ve made him feel that way. I guess I’ll just have to put on a brave face around him and work to actually be able to talk to him and work with him.”

“And then you’ll tell him?”

“No. I can never tell him.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t tell Cat Noir that the girl he idolizes is just plain, clumsy Marinette.”

“You forgot kind, selfless, witty, and brave.” Cat Noir vaulted himself over the wall and landed right in front of the lawn chair on Marinette’s balcony as Tikki zipped under the chair.

“A–Cat Noir!”

“Aaaaand a little stubborn,”

“I thought I heard someone.”

“Did I forget perceptive?”

“What are you doing here?”

Cat leaned in so closely to Marinette that their noses were practically touching. “But definitely _not_ plain.”

Marinette turned her body away from her partner. A slightly pouty look appeared on her face as she focused on the hands on her lap. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Well, . . .” Cat Noir rubbed the back of his head, “I was worried about you, and you wouldn’t tell me what was wrong, so I sorta had to resort to spying on you?”

“How much did you hear?”

“Enough. By the way, Tikki, you can come out now.”

Tikki flitted out from her hiding spot under the chair and flew up into Cat’s face. “Hello, Cat Noir. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Cat smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

Tikki turned to look at her chosen and then turned back to Cat as her face grew serious. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She flitted off.

Cat looked at Marinette who was still staring intently at the hands on her lap. He walked over and sat down next to her, putting his right hand on top of hers.

“I know you’ve always had an easier time talking to Cat Noir than Adrien,” he said. “If you want I can stay as Cat. Or I can change back into Adrien.”

Marinette kept her gaze on her lap. “I don’t think it matters, anymore.”

“Then maybe we should have this conversation as people.” Marinette watched as the clawed, leather-clad black hand dissolved into a familiar peach tone. A small, black blur came out of Cat’s ring and nearly hit Marinette in the head.

“Sorry about that,” Adrien said. “That’s my kwami, Plagg.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” said Plagg. “How much of this sappy stuff am I going to have to endure?”

“Plagg!” Tikki shouted as she zipped over to the black kwami. The two kwamis hugged and twirled around in a circle in the air.

“How long has it been?” Plagg asked.

“Only about three decades.”

“That was a short one.”

“C’mon,” Tikki said as she dragged Plagg over to the other side of the balcony. “We can reminisce over here and let those two talk.”

Adrien had been watching the whole scene with a smile on his face. He turned back to Marinette, whose eyes still hadn’t moved. Or any other part of her body for that matter.

“So when did you find out?”

“Two days ago,” she murmured. “When we fought Power Forward. I noticed that Cat Noir was pretty good at basketball, and then it all just . . . clicked. Ya know? All of the similarities between the two of you.”

“And that’s when you tried to looked at my ring.”

Marinette pursed her lips and nodded.

“Marinette,” Adrien said after an awkward minute of silence, “would you look at me please?”

He could feel her clench her hands tighter as she did the same with her eyelids. He put his left hand around her shoulder and pulled her in. Marinette startled a little and then settled into the joint between his neck and shoulder.

It was Adrien again who broke the silence. “Are . . . are you disappointed? That it’s me?”

Marinette jolted straight up and looked directly at Adrien. “What?! No! Why would I be disappointed. It just turns out that my partner all this time is the boy I like who’s really smart and nice and incredible and now I’m rambling.” Marinette pressed the tips of her index fingers together.

“Wait. Back up. You . . . like me?”

Marinette’s cheeks turned red as she lowered her gaze. “Y-yes.”

Adrien thought for a moment. “I’m so stupid!”

“What?”

“I thought you were still holding the gum incident against me.”

“That day in the rain, when you handed me your umbrella. That was the first time I saw your compassion. Well, I guess it’s the second time now. And I’ve seen it all year. And, well, I just, I started to like you so much that being around you made me nervous and bumbly.”

Adrien smiled. “Marinette?”

She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Yes?”

“I’m glad it’s you.”

“Really?” Tears started to well her blue eyes.

“You’re sweet, kind, smart, and talented. You’re a natural leader. And you don’t take crap from anybody, whether it’s an akuma or the classroom bully. No one could be a better Ladybug than you.”

“Oh, Adrien.” Marintte wrapped her arms around his neck. Adrien returned the gesture wrapping his arms around her waist. They sat there for a minute and enjoyed each other’s presence.

Adrien eventually let go, and Marinette followed suit.

“It’s getting late,” he said. “I should probably get home before Father or Nathalie notice I’m gone. I put pillows in the bed, but best to be safe.”

He stood up. “Plagg, claws out!” In a flash of green light, Cat Noir was standing on Marinette’s balcony again.

“Adrien?” Marinette asked. Cat Noir turned to look at her. “Do you wanna come over after school tomorrow? So we can work on our homework together?”

He leaned down, took her hand and kissed it. “That would be paw-sitively purrfect, M’Lady.” He jumped up onto the railing, extended his baton, and vaulted off.

Marinette went down into her room and began taking the posters of Adrien off her walls.

* * *

It was a nice day. Marinette and Adrien were sitting at Marinette’s desk working on their math problems. Every time Adrien made a dumb cat pun, Marinette would roll her eyes.

“Am I really gonna have to deal with this all the time?” She had asked at one point.

Adrien looked at her and waggled his eyebrows. “You know you love it.”

“That’s debatable.”

Tom and Sabine were doing their usual routine of consistently interrupting them to offer snacks.

Then a news alert came on Marinette’s computer. Hawkmoth had akumatized another person. And he was wreaking havoc at the Champs-Élysées. Marinette and Adrien turned to each other and grinned.

“Last one there’s a rotten egg?” Adrien asked.

Marinette’s grin turned into a slight smirk. “I hope you enjoy smelling like Camembert _and_ sulphur. Tikki . . .”

“Plagg . . .”

“Spots on!”

“Claws out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, open to constructive criticism and collaborative efforts.
> 
> My head is swirling with ideas now. (Beginning to think this show sends subliminal messages to encourage addiction or something.) I now have ideas for 4 reveal fics and one finale fic. I've started writing my next one, but the way the creative process works, I have an end but no beginning. So if you subscribe to me, be prepared to start at Chapter 3 and then skip to Chapter 5, etc.


End file.
